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McDonald’s Happy Meals healthy option with toy trumps fries and Coke: University of Waterloo research

Do kids want a toy with that? Yes. Two out of five Ontario campers would rather have a toy and a healthier Happy Meal than one with no toy at all.

By Emily JacksonStaff Reporter

Sun., Aug. 12, 2012

Pokemon and Strawberry Shortcake figurines trump fries and cola when it comes to meal time.

When given the choice between a McDonald’s Happy Meal with apple slices and water or fries and a can of Coke, both with a toy, just 19 per cent of 6 to 12-year-olds chose the healthier meal, according to a University of Waterloo study on 337 kids at a Cambridge, Ont. YMCA camp.

But when the toy was only available with the healthier meal — at 285 calories, the serving had less than half the calories and 25 per cent less sodium — 40 per cent of children chose to forgo the salty snack and sugary drink, according to the study.

“For a six-year-old or eight-year-old, there’s no greater incentive than a Star Wars lightsaber,” U of W public health researcher David Hammond said.

While there is “no doubt” adding a toy to a meal is a successful marketing strategy, it was surprising that double the amount of kids chose the healthier option when there was a toy involved, Hammond said. (Parents had no say in their choices.)

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“As a parent of a 5 and a 3-year-old, it is effective. Any parent will tell you that.”

The study, conducted in August 2011, found toys coupled with healthier meals appealed more to younger children and girls.

The research suggests a way to reduce rising obesity rates among Canadian children, Hammond said. Why not demand fast food outlets only provide toys with healthier meals to give kids incentive to steer clear of fries and sodas?

Two California counties, San Clara and San Francisco, have already banned restaurants from giving away toys unless the meals met certain nutritional requirements in 2010. (McDonald’s, however, skirted the regulation by charging 10 cents for toys.)

Restaurants have lobbied against the policy. More than a billion meals with toys are sold in the U.S. annually, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

To address health concerns, McDonald’s revamped its Canadian Happy Meals in April 2012. The new, approximately 500-calorie meals automatically include yogurt and, if a child chooses fries, the portion size is smaller. (The less healthy meals given for the study had 605 calories.)

Approximately 26 per cent of Canadians aged 6 to 19 are overweight or obese, but outside of Quebec there are “virtually no restrictions” on food marketing to children, Hammond said. Whether the federal or provincial government takes action, a policy could promote healthier eating options from a young age.

“There’s no way we’re going to reduce obesity rates without changing this type of environment and the marketing environment.”

The experiment’s results are published in this summer’s Canadian Journal of Public Health. The study was largely funded by the Canadian Cancer Society.

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